Steelers T.J. Watt deservingly earns AFC Defensive Player of the Week

T.J. Watt has been on a rampage as of late. Here’s why the Steelers star defender was recently named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. 

Following a four-sack performance against Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns, nobody should be surprised that T.J. Watt has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts on Monday Night Football. Despite playing just 38 snaps against the Chiefs in the week prior before re-aggravating a groin injury, Watt had an extended week to prepare and he really took advantage.

The Pittsburgh Steelers star defender was on a mission in Cleveland (as was the whole team) to earn one last home victory at Heinz Field for Ben Roethlisberger. This was something they were able to accomplish with relative ease — thanks in large part to Watt’s dominance as a pass rusher.

However, Watt was likely playing with a dual purpose in Week 17. There’s no doubt that he realizes how close he now is to breaking Michael Strahan’s NFL single-season sack record.

After racking up 4.0 sacks of his own on Monday Night Football (9 as a team), Watt is closer than ever to achieving this historic accomplishment. Entering the final game of the season on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, the two-time All-Pro defender will need just 1.0 sack to tie the NFL record and 1.5 sacks to break it.

Before last week, we didn’t know if this was something that would be within reach. However, after his ‘Player of the Week’-worthy performance, breaking the sacks record seems likely to happen — especially when you consider the fire Watt has been playing with as of late.

The Steelers star has now earned 21.5 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 6 pass defenses, 36 quarterback hits, and 48 pressures with one game remaining in the regular season, according to Pro Football Reference.

Steelers star defender is making history

This was hardly the first time that T.J. Watt had been dubbed the best defensive player in the AFC on any given week. In fact, this is an honor that he has already secured three times this season, and it’s become a recurring theme over the past three years.

Watt is now the odds-on favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award in the NFL this season — something many fans argue he should have won in each of the past two seasons. Now, Watt could finally earn an award that has been a long time coming.

This is even more impressive when you consider the time he has missed this season. Unlike the other top DPOY candidates this year, Watt is leading the pack with two fewer games played this season. He has also been forced to exit the game early an additional four times this year.

Despite a plethora of nagging injuries and time missed during training camp and preseason, Watt is still as dominant as ever when healthy. That much is plain to see. With one more great week against the Ravens to close the season, Watt could earn his fourth Defensive Player of the Week this season as well as the DPOY award following the season.